With dreams of becoming a chef from a young age, 18 year old Charlie Jeffreys has followed a determined career path in order to fulfil his ambitions.
Four and a half years ago, Charlie started working as a KP at Yalbury Cottage near Dorchester in Dorset. He showed lots of enthusiasm in the kitchen and was soon helping the chefs with prep, making canapés and baking breads. When he turned 16 and had finished his exams at school, Charlie immediately enrolled onto the Intermediate Professional Cookery Apprenticeship.
Charlie took a lot of inspiration from his employer Jamie Jones, and made sure he learned as much as he could from him while working at Yalbury Cottage. “Jamie has gone all over the world and has worked in every position in the kitchen,” explained Charlie. “His knowledge of cooking and running a business is extraordinary.”
After completing the intermediate level apprenticeship, Charlie went straight on to do the advanced level. “It is intense training and long hours,” said Charlie. “You learn everything from weighing meats to boning legs of lamb and sourcing local produce. I really feel like I’ve learnt everything about cooking – even the management side of it. I certainly feel as though I have gained lifelong skills.” As part of his training, Charlie got to spend two days on a work experience placement. The first day was spent at La Chapelle and the second at Galvin at Windows. “The work experience was organised for me by Jamie and it was a real eye opener to work with Chris and Jeff Galvin and their teams at the Michelin Starred La Chapelle and Windows in London. It was insane – totally different. I loved it!”
Now two years on, having completed the advanced level, Charlie has recently accepted a position as Commis Chef at The Dorchester Hotel in London and is now living in central London and He believes that without the training he received at Yalbury Cottage he would not be where he is now. “The apprenticeships are such an amazing route to take if you are thinking about a career as a chef. They teach you so much and give you that extra confidence boost when you receive your completion certificates. My HIT Trainer Assessor Hannah Nicholas was fantastic. She was always so helpful and got me through my units very efficiently. And of course Jamie was incredibly supportive throughout my time at Yalbury Cottage. Being taught by such a legend was an honour.”
